Andrea Janov poetry

Take ‘em All

Only one street light      sputters
almost illuminating the alley.
As I walk from Metro I hear
              Motorhead spitting through the speakers
                            and skateboard cracks against the pavement.

Black T-shirts with assorted
skate company and band logos
sit on their boards,
                     daring each other to do impossible tricks.

I tackle Dave. He slides
      over, making just
enough room on his board for
me to squeeze on and press against his damp body.

Matt is trying to kickflip over six boards
   The boys bet on his injuries:
             losing a tooth, needing stitches in his face
broken arm or wrist.                 

I watch Matt –      look to the ground
      then back        at the tower of interlocked boards

             Matt throws down his board
                 pushes off
                             wheels grind crushing pebbles
                                against the macadam as he
                                     rolls to the tower

The Freaks, Nerds, and Romantics: A Punk Rock Prom

Flashes bounce off
            spiked bracelets and studded belts
as we pose for pictures
in the alleyway behind Metro.

Our hair dyed to match
            our Salvation Army dresses –
taffeta frills and bows overtake
shoulders and obscure faces.
           Suspenders clipped on worn-out Dickies 
Fiend skulls show through
ripped button-down shirts
tattoos stick out
of shirt collars and spaghetti straps.

A souped-up Civic turns
        into the alley
                jerks to a stop –      Freaks!
     They shout from behind tinted windows.
                                    Eggs splatter
                         against the concrete
         and crack against bodies
      yolk oozes onto skin and satin.

We hurl stones –                        they throw
                       bounce                           the car in reverse             
                           off the windshield
       ping the hood
                   nick the paint.